Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror

Ellen Datlow, ed.

From the most acclaimed horror editor in the business comes the most groundbreaking horror of the new millennium. In Nightmares, editor extraordinaire Datlow has skillfully reprised her classic anthology Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror.

by Ellen Datlow, ed.

From horror’s most acclaimed editor comes the most groundbreaking horror of the new millennium. In Nightmares, editor extraordinaire Ellen Datlow has skillfully reprised her classic anthology Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror.

In these twenty-four chilling tales, you will find iconic authors—including Richard Kadrey, Garth Nix, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and Gene Wolfe—reminding us that evil will simply not go away. Two inexperienced thieves discover a residence that makes Home Alone seem like a playground romp. Concerned parents struggle with morality while their cruel child courts fairy revenge. The Ash Mouth Man might be just a legend to girls who wish to waste away—but is he worth just one kiss?

Praise for Nightmares

A Booklist August – SF/Fantasy/Horror Spotlight. Nightmares selected as a top 10 2017
A Kirkus 13 Horror Books to Put You in the Mood for HalloweenA Barnes and Noble SF and Fantasy Blog Best Horror Book of 2016A Campus Circle Holiday PickA Suspense Magazine Best Anthology of 2016A Book Riot Wonderful Book of 2016
A Barnes & Noble Blog Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Collections and Anthologies of 2016

[STARRED REVIEW] “Ten years of short horror fiction plucked from previous anthologies, plus some original works, come together in these 24 tales, in which “what goes bump in the night” ranges from ghosts to madmen to what lurks inside the human psyche. One actor’s last hope for reconstructive surgery resides within television itself. A horror writer creates a story come to life, only to get caught in the middle of it. Renowned authors such as Caitlin R. Kiernan, Robert Shearman, Garth Nix, and Kaaron Warren vividly capture the darkness, evil, and fear found in great horror fiction. ­VERDICT: Noted anthologist Datlow (The Best Horror of the Year) once again draws upon her curating skills to highlight the best the genre has to offer. The variety of stories shines a light on the depth and breadth of this sometimes marginalized literary form.”
—Library Journal

“[STARRED REVIEW] Building off her indispensable Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror (2010), which covered the years 1985–2005, Datlow has here collected the 24 stories that she has most enjoyed from 2005–15. Her task is aided greatly by the fact that the last decade has been a fertile one for the genre, with the emergence of incredible new voices and the decision by nongenre writers to give horror a try. Arranged in chronological order by year of publication, these tales represent the breadth of horror from psychologically chilling to all out terrorizing and feature just about every type of monster or ghost imaginable. As a result of this range, however, not every reader will like every story, but that is not this book’s goal. Rather, it should be taken as an exemplary and accurate representation of what readers can expect from horror today, in general, in one concise volume. Of particular note are the stories by rising stars Laird Barron and Stephen Graham Jones and Australian Kaaron Warren, and a refreshingly original entry into the crowded field of zombie stories by literary-fiction author Dan Chaon. This volume is not only the perfect discovery tool for readers looking for the very best of modern horror, it should also be used as a collection-development tool by library staff.”
—Booklist

“Nightmares is a dream come true anthology for those who love the darker and twisted side of speculative fiction and want to be entertained by beautifully written, dark and imaginative stories that give readers something to think about”
—Risingshadow

“Editor Ellen Datlow has compiled works that display her ability to cull quality horror fiction, as well as her enthusiasm and esteem for the genre. Published by Tachyon, Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror is a pleasant reminder that horror’s short fiction “golden age” is ongoing.”
—Diabolique

“Datlow offers another impressive, diverse and hugely enjoyable collection of short fiction. . . This is a great collection of horror fiction. I’d highly recommend it.
—The Book Lover’s Boudoir

“An excellent collection over all, featuring some of the best voices in horror. It has something to suit a wide variety of tastes, blending stories about real life trauma and bloodshed, to stories that pass into the realms of cosmic terror, horror in the old west and even those with a grim fairytale-like feel. In these pages you will find a nightmare for every horror fan.”
—This is Horror

“There is something for everyone here from serial killers, to zombies, to demons to shape shifters.”
—Shining Star Reviews

“[This] whole book of horror tales was rather fantastic. “
—Brad K. Horner

“Nightmares, horror reprinted for works originally published from 2005-2015 is of the highest quality of anthology available.”
—Unnerving Magazine

“Edited by the God of horror anthologies, Ellen Datlow . . . For horror fans, Nightmares: A New Decade of Modern Horror, is a must own anthology. Simply put, you need this on your shelf.”
—LitReactor

“The overall quality of fiction here is so high, it’s hard to figure out where to begin . . . Datlow has a nigh-immaculate eye for stories,”
—Battered, Tattered, Yellowed, & Creased

“Nightmares is more than just a memorable and collective anthology; it is an excellent showcase of some of the finest names in contemporary horror and weird fiction, as well as one of the knowledgeable influence of the genre’s leading editors.”
—New York Journal of Books

“If you want the pants scared right off you, this is one of the greatest collections of horror stories ever printed. And that is not an exaggeration.”
—Unnerving Magazine

“Ellen Datlow has curated countless collections of horror and fantasy; anything with her name attached pretty much guarantees that the stories I’m about to read are high quality and will linger in my mind long after I finish reading the book. This volume of twenty-four stories is not an exception to that rule.”
—Girl Who Reads

“Most short story anthologies feel like entrées, little more than a glimpse into an author’s work. Nightmares feels like an all-you-can-eat buffet where the palate is refreshed every time you go up for another helping.”
—Strange Alliances

“[A] fantastic collection.”
—Fat Robot

“This is the best anthology I’ve read all year and a must-have for any horror fan’s bookshelf.”
—Horror-Writers.net

“A fantastic collection of short stories that I think is worthy of your reading.”
—World of My Imagination

“…the horror anthology that got talked about the most seemed to be Nightmares: A New Decade of Horror…”
—Locus, Year in Review

“Lovers of horror will love this anthology. A great one to bury you teeth in.”
—Elitist Book Reviews

“Nightmares offers up some of the best horror short fiction I’ve read in a while.”
—Looking For a Good Book

Biography

Ten-time World Fantasy Award-winner Ellen Datlow is one of horror’s most acclaimed editors. Datlow was the fiction editor of OMNI for nearly twenty years and also edited the magazines Event Horizon and Sci Fiction. Her many bestselling anthologies include the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror series; Snow White, Blood Red; Lovecraft’s Monsters; Naked City, and Darkness. Datlow has won multiple Hugo, Locus, and Shirley Jackson awards. She has received several lifetime achievement awards, including the Bram Stoker and World Fantasy Awards. Datlow lives in New York City.

Praise for The Monstrous

[STAR] “Datlow, horror anthologist extraordinaire, brings together all things monstrous in this excellent reprint anthology of 20 horror stories that explore the ever-widening definition of what makes a monster, with nary a misstep.
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Eerie and artfully executed, the narratives are highly imaginative and chilling.”
—Diabolique

“It is the monstrous wonders that come from the intelligent minds of these
authors that make this book amazing.”
—Suspense Magazine

“Datlow has more backed-up expertise and accumulated assets than almost any other horror/dark/weird editor in the business.”
—TeleRead